Regulation of the function of CD4 T cells

我们的研究旨在回答两个关于免疫反应如何调节的基本问题：当抗原冲击免疫系统时，是什么决定了抗原（外来或自身）是否启动免疫反应？第二，如果免疫反应启动，是什么决定了免疫反应的类型，其中有两种主要类型？例如，免疫系统可以产生由“细胞毒性T细胞”组成的细胞介导的应答，其可以杀死肿瘤细胞或被病毒感染的细胞，和/或其可以产生抗体，所述抗体例如中和一些病原性细菌产生的毒素。值得注意的是，免疫系统有一种方法来决定产生哪种类型的反应：主要的细胞介导的反应，主要的抗体反应或混合反应。这种“决定”通常是至关重要的，因为不同种类的免疫力对不同的入侵者有效。

Our studies are directed at answering two basic questions concerning how immune responses are regulated: what determines whether or not an antigen, foreign or self, launches an immune response when the antigen impinges upon the immune system? Secondly, what determines, if an immune response is launched, the type of immune response, of which there are two major kinds? For example, the immune system can generate a cell-mediated response, consisting of "cytotoxic T cells", that can kill tumor cells or cells infected by a virus, and/or it can produce antibodies that, for example, neutralize toxins that some pathogenic bacteria produce. Remarkably, the immune system has a way of deciding what type of response to generate: a predominant cell-mediated response, a predominant antibody response, or a mixed response. This "decision" is often critical, as different kinds of immunity are effective against different invaders.